Chapter 36: The Price of Heroism

“You’re barely clinging to life yourself, yet you still dream of playing the hero and saving the beauty? Hahaha, what a joke! In that case, go die with her!”

Upon seeing Ye Cha grasp the sharp sword, Zi Linglong’s gaze intensified, filled with even greater malice. In her heart, she cursed, ‘All men should die.’

‘They’re nothing but hindrances!’

‘Always ruining her plans!’

“Senior Sister Lingling, although Senior Brother Bai Ge has been refined into a Corpse Puppet, his cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment stage. I believe with your strength, Senior Sister, you can easily suppress him! I, Ye Cha, know my own cultivation is low, but I am willing to lend you a hand, and together, we can repel this ghost cultivator!”

Zi Linglong’s enigmatic power had ensnared Shen Ruotong with just a single move, leaving the others hesitant to act rashly.

Ye Cha, however, paid no mind to Zi Linglong’s menacing words. Instead, he gazed earnestly at Zhou Lingling, his steadfast and serious eyes igniting a sudden warmth within her.

A flame, named ‘fighting spirit,’ quickly began to burn in her chest.

‘Junior Brother Ye Cha is right!’

As a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and with the sect’s abundant resources pouring into her, both her cultivation techniques and her magical artifacts were of the highest quality.

What was there to fear when merely facing a Corpse Puppet?

Besides, even if something happened to her, she absolutely could not allow Junior Brother Ye Cha to come to harm!

As this thought solidified, the panic on Zhou Lingling’s face instantly vanished, replaced by an expression of confidence. She swiftly raised her hand, conjuring several lifelike butterflies.

As Zhou Lingling murmured incantations, the butterflies circled and danced around her.

By this time, Ye Cha had released his grip, but he did not retreat. Instead, his eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he charged forward with his longsword, engaging Bai Ge in battle.

However, it was less a battle and more a one-sided struggle.

Despite Ye Cha’s current Foundation Establishment cultivation, the techniques he practiced were still those he learned during the Qi Refinement stage; he hadn’t had time to update them. Coupled with his lack of powerful magical artifacts, he was soon stabbed in the arm by the sword in Bai Ge’s hand, causing his left arm to bleed profusely.

The sight of the crimson blood stung Zhou Lingling’s eyes, making her cast aside all reservations. She bit down on her tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the butterflies before her.

Their bodies were instantly stained crimson, and their size expanded severalfold.

No longer fluttering around Zhou Lingling, they flapped their wings and swiftly flew towards Bai Ge. As they moved, tiny specks of scale powder drifted down from their wings, landing precisely on various parts of Bai Ge’s body.

It was at this exact moment that Bai Ge’s body suddenly stiffened. Ye Cha seized the opportunity, thrusting his sword into Bai Ge’s left eye. He did not stop there, continuing to push deeper, directly churning Bai Ge’s brain into a pulp.

Corpse Puppets possessed incredibly strong defenses and were not normal humans. Destroying their bodies was largely ineffective; only by directly severing their heads could a Corpse Puppet be truly killed.

However, Ye Cha knew he couldn’t cleanly sever Bai Ge’s head, and such a brutal method felt too savage for him. After a moment’s thought, he opted for the technique of destroying the brain through the eye socket.

This move proved effective. Once Bai Ge became completely motionless, Ye Cha did not pause. Gripping his longsword, he swiftly rushed towards Zi Linglong’s position.

“Ye Cha, don’t!”

Initially, Zhou Lingling felt a surge of joy after Bai Ge was defeated. But then, witnessing Ye Cha’s actions, her eyes widened in shock, and her words came out distorted.

Yet, she could not stop Ye Cha’s movement.

“How dare you, you brat!”

Accompanied by Zi Linglong’s furious roar, Ye Cha’s sword slashed diagonally across her neck. Immediately, a burst of purple mist rose, and Zi Linglong’s figure began to blur.

As Zi Linglong’s sinister gaze fell upon Ye Cha, he merely smiled and mouthed a phrase: ‘Old hag, I dare. What can you do about it?’